Parameters for an operation cycle of a laundry treating appliance can depend on several factors, such as the size of a laundry load and the type of fabric of the laundry load. In some laundry treating appliances, the user manually inputs a fabric type through a user interface. However, it may be desirable to have the appliance automatically determine the fabric type because, for example, manual input may be perceived as inconvenient to the user and may result in a subjective, inaccurate characterization of the laundry type.